Most of the characters within the story are from the Anime Series,
Ranma 1/2 and are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and whoever else
may own the rights. I write this without permission and do so with
no attempt to profit off of the marvelous works. Rather, I do so
for everyone's benefit. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.


Eighteen years have past since the disappearance of Ranma Saotome
from Nerima. Though it was a hard blow felt by many, life moved on
as it always has and always will, but the more things change the
more they stay the same.  A simple chance meeting, between two
people who have never laid eyes upon each other before, can change
the course of many destinies, and, here, in Nerima anything is
possible...

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*A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Misery Loves Company*
**********************************************
-third fanfiction, following "Vengeance" and "A New Life."
by Ryan Erik


An excerpt from the prelude, "Love at First Glance."


	A countless number of people walked past the black-haired young man, 
waiting in the airport terminal for his sister. Commuter
traffic on the weekends was horrible and the youth simply had to
experience it at the worst time. Being pressed up against the wall
while looking through a vast of travelers was one thing, but he had
to make his way across the terminal to find out which gate his
sister would be come from.
	 He had just arrived home from his job and was tired from
lifting those stupid crates full of fresh fruits, since he worked
at a fruit market. Wondering how he let his mother convince him to
pick his sister up in the first place, the teenager shook his head
in disgust. He knew he didn't have a chance to say no when any
female, let alone someone close to him, asked nicely, even when he
had good reason not to. He didn't even have time to change out of
his work clothes!
	Someone slammed into him, knocking him back a bit. While the
actual impact failed to hurt him, he had been sore their from an
earlier sparing session with his father. No amount of endurance
training could properly prepare anyone for one of his punches.
	Holding his side, he kept up his extremely slow pace through
the river of people all heading in the opposite direction. Glancing
at his watch distractedly, he noted the time. His sister's flight
should have arrived by now.
	'What kind of mess have you got yourself into now, Kenichi
Tendo?' he thought to himself, sarcastically. He could be at home
right now, training with his mother's class or better yet, enjoying
a meal at Ucchan's with all of his friends. He shrugged off that
train of thought when he saw his sister's sprightly figure
literally bouncing through the other passengers.
	"Maya!" he shouted in an attempt to gain her attention. He cut
his way through people a little more aggressively to reach her
position, receiving more than a few angry shouts.
	"Ken-chan!" she cried back, working her way to him likewise.
When they reached each other, she collided into him like a freight
train, nearly knocking him off his feet when she pulled him into a
hug.
	"It's so good to see you, bro!" she whispered in his ear,
squeezing the air out of his lungs in a death-grip bearhug.
	"It's only been a few weeks, sis," he said, but he felt the
same. There were so few people that he could relate to, and his
sister was one of them. Though most siblings don't get along at
all, Kenichi and Mayako Tendo were a definite exception. It might
have been the fact that they were twins or that their hobbies were
virtually identical, but no one knew for sure. Ken liked to think
that the best friends you could have were your family anyway.
	"Yeah, but I missed you anyway," she replied with a smile,
showing off her cute fangs. "Is daddy or mom here?" she asked as
they began to walk with the flow of traffic.
	"Nah, just me," he answered, hoping she wouldn't be upset. One
thing about his sister was that she could be extremely happy one
moment and utterly sad the next. "Mom had to teach the evening
class and dad..." he trailed off, hoping she could figure out why
he wasn't here.
	"...got lost again?" she finished, nearly breaking out into a
giggle fit on the spot. "Silly daddy."
	"Yeah," Ken said with less humor.
	"Ah, cheer up, poopy head," she teased, putting her arm around
his back and flashing another of her trademark kawaii-fang smiles
at him. "He always finds his way back soon."
	"Most of the time," he said, holding his side in remembrance of their 
last meeting.
	"Are you okay, Ken?" his sister asked, concerned. "Dad smack
you hard last session?"
	"Hai," he admitted, biting his lip exposing an identical set of fangs. 
He decided to change the subject. "Grandfather Soun was all
worked up about something yesterday," he informed her. "I couldn't
get many details out of him, though. He was crying as usual, so
what he said was very slurred, something about an old friend's son
meeting him about some business or another."
	"No names?" she asked, probably wondering if she knew him.
	"Nope, but I think he mentioned something about him being from
the States."
	They continued walking slowly through the crowd until they
entered the cafeteria, when Mayako turned to her brother with a
strained look on her face.
	"Can you wait right here, Ken?" she asked, a little bit tense.
"I have to go to the bathroom! The one of the flight smelt bad!"
	He grinned, shrugging. "Sure thing, sis. Try not to take too
long though. I want to get out of here as quickly as possible."
	"I won't," she promised before disappearing into the ladies
restroom.
	Waiting patiently outside the door, he closed his eyes,
experiencing the smells and the sounds of the airport, rather than
its sights. He took a deep breath, sucking in the stuffy air. He
would be much happier after he left this less than peaceful
atmosphere.
	He started tapping his foot impatiently when he felt something
disturbing, as if a wave of thick air washed over him. His eyes
snapped open, goose bumps rising on his arms. He just knew
something was going to happen, whether good or bad he did not know.
	Taking a few tentative steps forward, he felt his way towards
the powerful aura. How he knew it was someone's aura, he did not
know why but he knew for sure. Though a moment ago, it felt like it
was going to knock him over, the feeling of energy faded until it
felt almost dormant.
	Never did he look where he was going, walking straight into
someone with a crunch. Surprised, he fell over, wondering what hit
him.
	"Ouch," someone moaned as Kenichi regained his senses.
	"I am so sorry!" he apologized, bowing his head from his prone
position. "Please forgive me... miss," he said, looking up quickly
at the person in front of him. He only caught a glimpse of her
fiery red hair as he began to help her collect her bags.
	"Forget it," she muttered unenthusiastically.
	The suitcase she had been carrying jarred open, spilling some
of its contents. Among them were a few undergarments, which he let
her pick up, and a martial arts gi complete with a rolled up black
belt and a few shirts. He took notice of them as he quickly shoved
them into her suitcase. As he reached for the last piece, their
heads collided with a bump.
	Shying back from her slightly, he looked up and caught her
quick glance. His mouth cracked open slightly and his eyes widened.
Before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his
young life, bar none. Her sapphire blue eyes caught the light,
reflecting back into his eyes. Her lightly tanned skin was
completely unblemished, yet it did not seem to have a trace of
make-up. Her crimson bangs, parted in the middle, were long hanging
in her face causing her to push them back behind her ears. Her long
red hair spilled over her left shoulder in a braid. She wore but a
simple red, knee-length dress, yet on her it seemed to be a gown a
royalty might wear. She turned her head just quickly, breaking
their mutual glance.
	His heart leapt through his chest and he realized he had yet to take a 
breath since he laid his eyes upon her. Standing up quickly,
he offered his hand to her, his breath still held hoping that she
would take it. Sparks shot up his arm when he felt her touch, her
hands feeling softer than silk. Time seemed to freeze as he pulled
her to her feet, their eyes meeting one last time.
	He bent over quickly, retrieving her suitcase and a sealed bag
that he failed to notice earlier and handed it to her. She took it
slowly, their hands touching again as the bag was passed to her
possession once more. The look on her face showed that she wanted
to say something, but instead she smiled.
	"I'm sorry, miss...?" he apologized again, hoping that she
would give him her name.
	"Kimiko," she replied. She turned to leave, but looked at him
one last time. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san."
	He watched her until he could see her no longer, a broad smile
appearing on his face. The exchange over, he felt light-headed as
if he was about to pass out. Never in his life had he ever felt
like that, his heart beating rapidly, sweating under his clothes
and all together nervous.
	"Kimiko," he repeated, a dreamy look appearing on his face.
"How'd she know my name?" he thought out loud.
	"I think the name tag was a big giveaway," his sister said,
having just exited the restroom. "You really should change out of
your work uniform before you go places." She paused for a moment
and asked, "Who's Kimiko?"
        "The girl of my dreams," he answered, still looking towards the 
direction she had headed.
	"Come on, lover boy," his sister said, tugging on his
shirt-sleeve. "Let's go get some grub."
	"Hai," he answered, Kimiko's face still pictured in his head.
"I wish that I could see her again."

Little did he know, his wish would soon be answered.


Ryan Erik
ryanerik59@hotmail.com or
magusbloodstone@hotmail.com

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